FEEDING HABITS

Trust takes time with wildlife

As the days pass and the blue tit chicks, along with other local youngsters, grow bigger, stronger and louder, I've been amazed at the level of trust building between me and the parent blue tits.

When I first noticed they were looking at the nest again, after a successful breeding season in 2008, I was greeted by warning calls from both birds whenever I was in the garden.

But as time has passed and since the chicks have hatched the parents have become very bold around me. The male still has the occasional chirp of an alarm call, but the female seems quite content with me presence.

This video shows how bold they have become, clearly ignoring me as they feed their young.



I've put this down to them seeing me regularly (twice a day) putting out mealworms for them to feed their young. The boldness of the blue tits is now showing in the other birds, with the dunnocks, great tits, blackbirds and tree sparrows allowing me to be closer and closer to them.

The behaviour of the robins has always been bold but they seem to have deserted the feeding stations in my garden over the last few days. I'm hoping it's because they are giving their fledglings a tour of the local fields, hedges and feeding hotspots.

Some more successful news from the pond behind my house. The mallards have been showing off 5 young over the weekend. I'm hopng to get images of the family over the bank holiday weekend - if the weather allows!
The pond is also home to a pair of tufted ducks and I suspect they are on eggs now. I'll update the news on them in the next few days.

My small pond is still full of life, with a few tadpoles growing and the plants and insects showing signs of a vibrant, if small, habitat.

Enjoy the video and I'll have more as the week goes by.